The Lonely Salamence
by orangeshoelaces
Summary: A young trainer, only fourteen years old, arrives in the town of Lavaridge seeking a strong ally for his first tournament. It would be the beginning of a friendship that would only grow stronger as the years passed. Excerpt from The Children of Jirachi.


AN: before we begin, for anyone new to my work, this is set in my own T-rated version of the world of Pokémon, based mostly upon the video game-verse. Many things are similar, but a few things are different as I largely attempt to give a (slightly) more realistic interpretation of the Pokémon world than in the base material.

This particular story is about how two characters from my main story (The Children of Jirachi) meet. Unlike my main story, there are no human Pokémon here. It's a story that I've wanted to write pretty much ever since I started The Children of Jirachi, but the place where it belongs in there is a very long way away so I decided to write it separately, as it is a stand-alone story anyway.

That's enough rambling, on with the story!

and as always:

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokémon or its characters.

* * *

The Lonely Salamence

Yet another earth-shaking roar echoed down the side of Mt. Chimney. All along the mountainside, Pokémon scattered and ran for cover from the source of the noise. All of them knew what it was and had good reason to be terrified of it. The horrible sound had been going on for several days, growing more and more frequent. The trail leading down from the summit was empty. It had been closed to the public until the danger had passed. But the source of the disturbance was far off the trail of what the locals called the Jagged Pass. It came from a cave some two miles away from the main path. Inside was a lone, female Salamence. The horrible noises disturbing the entire world around her was the sound of her calling out to others of her kind and receiving no answer.

The roaring of the Salamence could be heard clearly all along the Jagged Pass. Though there were no people around to hear it, the sound carried down the twisting, rocky road towards the town of Lavaridge itself. The noise began to grow faint within the town, but loud enough to worry the citizens. There had already been a lot of discussion on what was to be done about the Salamence, but so far a decision had not been made. Some believed that it would simply go away on its own, given time.

However, Charles, or rather Chuck, Bailor was not one of those people. He knew how aggressive the dragon-Pokémon could be. Years ago, Chuck had heard several stories of enraged Salamence attacking travelers. Some even dared to venture into towns and cities. He did not want to see that happen in Lavaridge. But after three kids, a divorce and a second marriage, his days of training Pokémon were long over. Managing the Drizzle House and learning to get along with his step-kids were his main worries these days. Pokémon training was for young, single men and women.

The next roar was loud enough to shake the walls of the Drizzle House. The bottles of liquor along the back wall, behind the bar, chimed together as they rocked, as if they too were afraid of the agitated Salamence.

Chuck raised his head from the dish he was washing to watch. He didn't really believe anything would fall, but he couldn't stop himself from worrying. The only other time he had seen them shake like that was when Mt. Chimney threatened to erupt a while back.

"Woo-eee!" old Ben, one of Chuck's regulars, cheered, "That was a doozy! That bitch is getting right _pissed_ up there!" He cackled drunkenly.

Chuck glanced over at his only waitress, and the only woman in the bar. But Cheryl was busy with something on her phone and didn't look up. Chuck knew that he should probably make her put it away and do some actual work, but it was only three-thirty. He wouldn't really need her help until five. Besides, the less he chastised his step-daughter the less he'd have to hear from his wife.

"You really think it's a female?" Keith, Chuck's other customer, asked the crazy old drunk.

"Sure do!" old Ben slapped the counter-top, "boy, when I was younger, I was all over this world," this was a common way for Ben to begin a story, any story, "this ain't the first time I've heard a Salamence roar like that! See, the male is tough and all, but it's the females that're the most vicious! 'Specially once they get riled up. Only one thing'll get a bitch _that_ riled up!" He stopped and took another swig of whiskey. Ben had been talking about this on a loop since the roars of the Salamence had first been heard. However, Keith seemed to forget the story as often as Ben told it.

Keith hung onto every word the old man said. He stared for a few seconds, expecting Ben to finish. But Ben had either assumed that his point was made, or had simply forgotten he was telling a story at all and didn't continue.

"What's that?" Keith prompted.

"Eh?" Ben raised an eyebrow.

"What will get a…" he glanced at Cheryl as he chose his words carefully, "female Salamence that 'riled up?'"

"Heheheh," Ben snickered, "well, what gets every _body_ and every _thing_ that riled up?"

Keith shook his head, still not quite getting it. The young man, in his early twenties, called himself a writer. Unfortunately, Chuck had seen him do far more drinking than writing. For someone who claimed to be as smart as he did, he was dim more often than bright. Especially when he was drunk, as he usual was, and was right then.

"Ohoho, dear boy…" Ben shook his head. For some reason or another, he was dancing around the subject. In all likelihood, he was merely toying with Keith, a rather easy feat. Chuck knew full well what he was getting at, but he was a little uncomfortable bringing it up in front of his step-daughter. Despite the various foul subjects that came up when the bar was busy, he was still careful to watch his own tongue.

"What d'ya think I'm talkin' about?!" Ben went on, "the birds and the bees, plugs and sockets, the music that makes the world go 'round! The bitch is in _heat_!"

"Ohhhh," Keith nodded, understanding finally slipping through the cloud of drunkenness.

"Like I said, when I was younger, I was all over this world," Ben resumed the story he had forgotten about, "men can yell and scream all they want, but when a bitch is in heat, _get the hell out of her way_!" He slapped the counter again to emphasize his point.

"So…wait," Keith held up an unsteady hand, "so it's a female trying to…what? Is she calling for…like a mate, or something?"

"Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!" Ben cackled, "yessir, the bitch is calling for a man. All she needs is a good, hard-"

"Will you stop saying that word?" Cheryl spoke up. Chuck turned to look at his step-daughter. She hadn't looked up from her phone, but apparently she really had been listening the whole time.

"What word's that, sweetie?" Ben smiled a wide grin, missing too many teeth. His demeanor turned sweet as roses now that he had a pretty girl to talk to.

"Never mind," Cheryl dropped the subject. This was one of the reasons she hated working in a bar. Get enough drinks in them and men said anything and everything that passed through their heads. And if she liked the tips she was getting, all she could do was smile, nod and look pretty. It was easy, but it was hard, too.

Chuck looked back and forth between his customers and his step-daughter. The situation had defused easily enough, but he didn't like how close it had come to turning into a full-blown argument. That Salamence was trouble in more ways than one.

Chuck wasn't especially worried about a single Salamence calling for a mate. He was more concerned about what would happen if two, three, or even more, males showed up at the same time. One was dangerous, but a fight between males over a female just outside of town was a disaster waiting to happen.

That was why he had posted a reward at town hall and the Pokémon Center. Chuck couldn't go himself, but what Lavaridge needed was a capable trainer willing to climb up and chase the thing away. Three separate trainers, all in their late teens or early twenties, had come to Chuck, but all of them had been defeated by the Salamence. The latest one had come back with some cuts and a nasty burn on his arm. Apparently, the Salamence was getting so agitated that she, if Ben was to be believed, was starting to attack the trainers as well as their Pokémon. Chuck was even starting to think of taking the note down before one of those trainers didn't come back at all.

Not even Flannery, Lavaridge's Gym Leader, could do anything about it. It wasn't that she wasn't willing, or not strong enough, but the town council simply wouldn't let her. Most of Lavaridge had bought on to the idea that it was a female calling for a mate. Because of this, a debate opened up over whether or not the town should interfere. Half of the people wanted to just chase the thing off before it became too dangerous, while another half thought it should be left alone. The resulting deadlock effectively paralyzed Flannery into inaction. Truth be told, there were also a few rumors that the still new Gym Leader wouldn't be up to the task anyway.

The idea had also been passed around of sending word to the dragon tribes that lived near Meteor Falls. That area was supposed to be the breeding grounds for Salamence anyway, making some people wonder if the Salamence was lost, trying to find her way home. If that were the case, it was hoped that a shaman from the tribe could come to Lavaridge, soothe the angry dragon and guide it home. It was a peaceful, environmentally friendly way to deal with the situation, but most believed that the dragon tribes only existed in legends. The likelihood of finding someone and bringing them to Lavaridge quickly enough to help was slim.

The reward Chuck had posted had only been approved because he had done so quickly. For the first day or so, no one suspected that the Salamence would stay, or even that it might be dangerous. The only reason he jumped to post it was because of Ben's ramblings that it was a female. As the days passed, everyone in town was becoming convinced the old drunk was right. But now the reward was paltry compared to the danger that awaited whoever climbed Mt. Chimney after it. The situation was growing worse and worse with each passing day.

This was the impasse that Lavaridge found itself trapped in when a boy in his early teens walked through the door of the Drizzle House that afternoon.

All four people inside the bar turned to look. No more customers were expected for another hour and a half, at the least. Not only that, but the person standing just inside the door looked awkward and out of place. The skinny kid looked around with an expression somewhere between confusion and disgust. It very well could have been the first time he ever set foot inside a bar in his entire life.

"I was told to look for Chuck…" the boy called out. His voice cracked a little as he talked. He wasn't quite a man, yet. He looked over the four people staring at him: a young woman, a young man, an old man and a middle-aged one. No one answered, so he went on. "This is the Drizzle House…right?"

"Sure is, son," Chuck called out, "I'm Chuck. Come on in. What can I do for you?"

The kid walked closer to the bar, but maintained a safe distance from the questionable people sitting along it. He glanced at Cheryl a few times, who had already turned back to her phone, but he seemed to be doing his best not to look at Ben or Keith at all. When he was close enough, Chuck noticed the varied, multi-colored Pokéballs attached to his belt. He was a trainer, probably still traveling and inexperienced.

"Well, uh…I'm here about the Salamence," he explained, "I heard you were offering a reward of some kind."

"Yeah, I am," Chuck nodded, "you know somebody?"

The boy blinked. Something Chuck said hadn't made sense to him.

"Uh…yeah," the boy nodded, "me."

Once more, all eyes in the room stared at him.

"What?" the boy shifted in place awkwardly.

"What's your name, kid?" Chuck asked.

"Uh…Peter," the boy answered, "Peter Emerald."

"Where are you from, Pete?"

"Littleroot Town."

"Never heard of it," old Ben scoffed, "and I've been all over."

"It's a pretty small town. It's over that way," he gestured towards his left, past Cheryl, towards the south, "do you know Professor Birch?"

"Sorry, Pete," Chuck shook his head, "can't say I do. Is he your teacher?"

"Never mind," Peter sighed. He was beginning to realize just how far off the beaten path he was.

"How old are you, Pete?" Chuck continued his interview.

"Fourteen," Peter answered.

"And how long have you been training Pokémon?"

"A little over a year," he was getting tired of answering questions, "look, about the Salamence-"

"She'll bite your head off, kid!" Ben suddenly roared laughter, slapping the countertop over and over as he doubled up. Keith soon joined in, but it was unclear whether or not he knew what they were laughing at. Peter sighed again, but otherwise took it in stride.

"She?" he asked, "How do you know it's a 'she?'" He had only arrived in Lavaridge that morning and hadn't yet heard the full story.

"Well," Chuck began, hoping to cut Ben off before he recovered from his fit of laughter. But he was already too late.

"You see," Ben stopped laughing as suddenly as he began, "When I was younger, I was all over this world. I was a pretty impressive trainer, mind you."

"Okay…" Peter nodded, hoping that he wasn't looking at his future.

"You see," the old drunk continued, "the males and the females usually sound alike, right?" Peter was about to reply that that wasn't quite true, but Ben barreled on anyway. "The thing is, people always think it's the males that're the most aggressive." Again, Peter wanted to interrupt and correct the old man, who probably hadn't been as good as he claimed, but he couldn't be stopped mid-story. "But it's the females, you see. They're the nasty ones! Especially when they're in heat: like that bitch up there!"

"In heat?" Peter asked. This was the only thing old Ben said that he hadn't already known about, or knew better.

"Ohhhh, yeah," Ben chuckled, "you know what that means, right?"

"Sure," the kid nodded. Of course he knew. Mostly, anyway.

Another roar sounded, shaking the bottles along the wall again.

"Waa-hoo!" Ben cheered in drunken delight, "hear that?! Yessir, that bitch wants it _hard_!" He slapped the countertop again and cackled at the top of his lungs.

"O-kay…" Peter began to edge away from the old man and turned back to Chuck, "anyway, they told me to come to you."

"The reward's really not that much. It's hardly worth the effort or the risk," Chuck explained. He had already decided he wasn't going to let this skinny boy get himself killed by a Salamence. He just hoped to be able to let him down easy.

"I'm not really after the reward," Peter explained, "I'm more interested in the Salamence. They just won't let me up the mountain unless I have permission. The police said that if you hire me, they'll let me go up."

"Did they really?" Chuck snorted laughter over that piece of news. Apparently this kid had already been gung-ho enough to try and climb the mountain but had been stopped by the police before he had gotten too far. Rather than just tell him to run home like a good little boy, they told him to come here. That way it became Chuck's responsibility to turn the kid down. Those slick bastards.

"Look, Pete," Chuck sighed, "old Ben over there might be drunk and crazy, but he's right. It's way too dangerous up there. The last trainer had first degree burns on his arm when he came back. That was two days ago. She's worse now. She won't just beat your Pokémon and call it a day. She'll go after _you_."

Peter closed his eyes for a moment. He really hated dealing with adults sometimes. They looked at him and they saw a weak little kid that could be beaten and used. They saw somebody too young and stupid to see how the world really worked. Even if they had been a trainer when they were his age, it made little difference. They had forgotten what it was like.

The only adults that treated him with any kind of respect were those that were still trainers. They were the ones that still fought and traveled and lived the kind of life that Peter did. They knew what he had done, what he had seen, and what he lived through.

But these people drinking away their lives in a back alley bar in Lavaridge Town were not one of those people. They had no idea who and what he was. He had flown through the skies on the backs of bird Pokémon and crossed the ocean riding a Gyarados. Soon he would be competing in tournaments with trainers from all over the world. He didn't want money, he wanted the Salamence.

Peter reached into his pocket and removed the metal case he kept with him at all times. He approached the bar and did his best to wipe away the dirt collected there. After a few seconds, he was forced to give up and reluctantly set the metal case down in front of Chuck and Cheryl, at the corner of the bar. He opened it and turned it to face Chuck. All eight badges of the Hoenn region, polished to bring out their metallic shine, were displayed within the case.

Chuck looked from the boy to the badges and back again.

"How long did you say you've been traveling?"

"A little over a year," Peter answered. Most trainers took several years to collect that many. Training for a gym match took practice and dedication, but it also took time. For him to have collected them all so quickly meant that he was exceptionally talented and possessed superb Pokémon. He was a prodigy.

" _Now_ will you let me go?"

* * *

Another roar echoed down the Jagged Pass. Once again, any Pokémon brave enough to venture out scattered and hid as the sound tore through the air. Except, this time, there was a boy on that rocky path, as well.

Peter had traveled this stretch of the Jagged Pass several times before. Normally, he came from the other direction, descending from the summit of Mt. Chimney after taking the cable car. The trip was fun the first time, but grew tiresome the more he did it. Now he remembered why he had done it so many times as he traversed the aptly named route in reverse.

Even the main path was filled with cliffs and cut-offs that forced him to choose another route. He relied on Stonewall, his Aggron, to help navigate the difficult terrain. Stonewall made climbing over cliffs much easier and could clear a boulder out of the way with a simple Rock Smash. However, some cliffs were too steep even for Stonewall and Peter was forced to take a winding, complicated path that strayed from the main road more often than not.

Despite the tough climb, Peter was happy with his progress. The intimidating presence of the Salamence kept the wild Pokémon at bay, allowing Peter to make the climb relatively unhindered. Though there was something eerie about it. During the ten to fifteen minutes between roars, the Jagged Pass was deathly quiet. With no one else around and the local Pokémon in hiding, Peter began to feel as though he were navigating an abandoned wasteland.

Partway up the climb, Peter realized what he had agreed to. He had just left a bar, after accepting a reward, to go save a town from a dragon. It was like something out of a fairy tale, or a video game. He grinned at the thought and tried to push the idea out of his mind. This was reality: where terrible things could happen for no reason, if he wasn't careful; sometimes, even if he was.

The closer he came, the louder the roars of the Salamence became. He was soon covering his ears, though more out of instinct rather than because they actually hurt. Though the sound alone would have made many other trainers turn around and run, Peter kept climbing.

In a way, the sound was even exhilarating. He was getting closer and closer to his goal. He didn't care at all about the money, he wanted the Salamence. It wasn't a Bagon or a Shelgon that would take years to train and raise before it would stand a chance in a real tournament. No, this was a fully grown Salamence, strong enough to have already defeated several other Pokémon trainers. A Pokémon like that would be just the thing he needed before fighting in an actual Pokémon League tournament.

He was ready. With twenty Ultra Balls and a team that specialized in catching Pokémon, one way or another, Peter was going to climb down that mountain with a Salamence.

He reminded himself what it might know and thought of a strategy for catching it. Stonewall would be a good start. He should be able to take most of its attacks with ease and chip away at it. Once it was weak and tired, Breloom could use Spore to put it to sleep. He would have to be careful with Breloom, though. It wouldn't be able to resist Salamence's attacks as well as Aggron could.

The sun was beginning to set as Peter came closer. He didn't really know where to find the Salamence, but used its roars to guide his way. Peter covered his ears when yet another roar made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He could almost anticipate when the roars were coming by the unnatural stillness in the air just before the Salamence screamed. He grinned when he saw the entrance to the cave.

Peter got down on his hands and knees as he crept towards the mouth of the cave. A terrible stench wafted out of the cave entrance. It was a stench of blood and rotting, discarded meat. Peter then remembered that it had been here for several days, almost a week. The cave was its den. Though it was meant to only be temporary, it was becoming foul as the creature was forced to stay in the small space. Peter pulled his shirt up over his nose, but it did little to stifle the smell.

As he came closer to the entrance, he could hear a low growl emanating from somewhere in the back of the cave. He could hear movement, as well. It was a loud, stomping noise as something large paced back and forth at a rapid pace.

She really was as agitated and angry as those weirdos in the bar had said. Peter didn't blame her, really. She had spent almost a whole week screaming at the top of her lungs, trying to find another of her kind with no success. Peter had to feel sorry for her.

At last, he was at the cave's entrance. He waited for one last roar. Even though he was ready for it, it was the loudest one yet. It echoed around the small cave and Peter gritted his teeth as he waited for the roar to end. When it was finally over, there was a slight ringing in his ears which took a few seconds to stop. He took a deep breath to steel himself.

He leaned forward, craning around the mouth of the cave to look inside. Bones littered the ground and patches of blood stained the rock walls. Flies buzzed over what remained of the dragon's latest kill. But Peter ignored all that as he stared at the dragon at the back of the cave.

She was huge: five feet high at the shoulder and at least twenty feet from the end of her nose to the tip of her tail. Her sky-blue scales glimmered in the dim light of the setting sun. Her legs looked short and stumpy, but she was anything but slow as she paced angrily back and forth, her long tail whipping through the air. Most impressive of all were her wide, crescent-shaped wings which were always open. The leathery skin was a deep, crimson red, even darker than the blood stains around the cave.

Peter stared for a few seconds, before swallowing hard. His mouth felt dry while he could feel himself start to sweat and his heart pound in his chest. His hands were clammy as he reached for Stonewall's Pokéball. It almost slipped out of his hand, but he managed to bring up his other hand to steady his grip. He removed his shirt from his nose. The smell might be awful, but he needed his commands to be heard.

Peter stepped to the center of the cave as he brought up the Pokéball. The Salamence's head snapped to attention. She snarled at him through pointed fangs, dripping red with blood.

"GO!"

Stonewall appeared between Peter and the Salamence with a bright flash of white that illuminated the entire cave for a brief second. The sturdy rock and steel-type Aggron let out a roar of its own in challenge to the Salamence.

"Stonewall, start with Rock Smash!" Peter ordered. He was well aware that the fighting-type Rock Smash was a weak attack and would be resisted by Salamence's flying-type. That was the plan. He needed to be careful and wear the Salamence down before he attempted to capture it. If he defeated it outright, it would flee immediately. Capturing Pokémon required finesse, not brute force.

Before the slow rock and steel-type could move, the Salamence opened her mouth. A wide stream of orange and red flames shot out, washing over Stonewall. The flames only narrowly missed Peter himself because the Aggron had taken the brunt of the attack. Peter drew back and shut his eyes.

 _Flamethrower_ , he thought, _she really is tough_. He wondered if he should rethink his strategy. Stonewall would not be able to fight through too many attacks like that.

Stonewall bellowed and charged forward through the flames. Peter knew the attack must have hurt him, but it would take more than one to bring him down. The ground shook as the juggernaut rushed at his opponent. With a heavy punch that could shatter boulders, he hit the Salamence's jaw, which snapped to the side. The flamethrower ended, but the dragon was barely fazed by the blow. Rock Smash might shatter boulders on the roadside, but Pokémon were an entirely different matter.

The two monsters squared off and began circling each other. Heavy footsteps pounded with intensity in the tiny cave.

"Iron Head!" Peter commanded. He couldn't afford to chip away slowly any longer.

Again the Salamence let out a deafening roar before her Flamethrower lit up the cave. Peter saw her clearly for the very first time as the orange and red glow made her scales shine brilliantly. Though he was worried for Stonewall, Peter's mouth hung open at the sight of the vicious, powerful dragon illuminated in flame. She was gorgeous.

Stonewall charged again, ignoring the flames as best as he could. He lowered his head as it began to shine like polished steel. He rammed head-first into the dragon's side like a 5-ton bull made of rock and metal. The Salamence let out a roar of pain as she was forced to end her attack once again. Her immense body hit the back wall of the cave with a crash that kicked up a cloud of dust and showered loose rock down on top of her.

"One more, Stonewall!" Peter shouted, "We've almost got her!"

But the Salamence changed tactics. It swiped at Stonewall with the claws of its forearm, scratching at the armor on its body. The attack did little to harm the Aggron, but before Stonewall could retaliate, the big dragon flapped her enormous wings to get airborne. With a speed Peter could never have imagined, the dragon shot forward towards the entrance: straight at him.

Peter only lived because of Chuck's warning that she had started attacking trainers, as well. He dove to the side a split second before the dragon shot past him, her jaws snapping at the air where his head had been.

The dragon let out a roar and for a terrible moment, Peter thought she was leaving. Ignoring the scrapes on his hands, he recalled Stonewall and rushed outside the cave. The Salamence was still there, circling in the air a hundred feet overhead.

Peter's hands were shaking as he brought up another Pokéball. With a bright flash, his Swellow appeared, flapping its wings to steady itself. Her name was Breeze.

"After her, Breeze!" Peter shouted, "Don't let her get away!"

His Swellow gave an affirmative chirp before taking wing towards the Salamence. Unfortunately, Peter did not like this match-up. While Breeze had seen him through some difficult times, he knew that Salamence was a far tougher Pokémon. Breeze would be faster, but she lacked power and would not be able to take much punishment from the dragon. Breeze caught up with her quickly, but there was a stunning difference in size. From Peter's spot on the cliff-side, it looked like a sparrow chasing after a hawk.

"Aerial Ace!" Peter shouted twice as loud to be heard. Breeze attacked in moments. She dove down along the Salamence's back, between its wings. Her sharp claws raked down and then back up the tough scales. But the attack did little damage.

The dragon shook her body as if shaking off a flea. Then, it folded its wings against its body and tucked into a tight spiral. When it finished, it was moving much more quickly; almost as quick as the light, speedy Swellow.

 _Dragon Dance_ , Peter thought. Once again, it was difficult not to be awed by this Salamence. She wasn't just strong, but she was smart, too. Dragon Dance was exactly what he would have done.

"Again! Aerial Ace!" Peter shouted. The Salamence had to be tiring by now, but so far she had fought straight through the pain.

Breeze dove down towards her target again, which was moving much faster than before. Her claws didn't rake into the tough dragon-scales with the same kind of power and precision. The Salamence ignored the annoyance once again and started the tight spiral of Dragon Dance that would make her both faster and stronger. Peter noticed with dread that she was moving even faster than Breeze.

"Quick Attack!" Peter commanded. It was a weak attack, but this could be the last one. Breeze obeyed faithfully, rocketing straight towards the Salamence. Her talons scratched wildly against the scales just behind the leathery wings. The dragon let out a roar that was more of anger than pain.

Just as Breeze finished its attack and turned to flee, the dragon twisted its body back and swiped at the bird-Pokémon with its own talons. The powerful Dragon Claw, strengthened even further by its Dragon Dance, hit Breeze with incredible force. The Swellow let out of sharp chirp of intense pain before it was sent plummeting toward the earth, its body tumbling end over end as it fell.

Peter reached out with his Pokéball and recalled his fallen Swellow. The red light covered its body and pulled it back inside its Pokéball long before the weakened bird-Pokémon hit the ground.

Peter watched the circling dragon-Pokémon high above the ground. After so many attacks, she was clearly weakened. It would not take much more before he could try using an Ultra Ball to catch her. Unfortunately, he had no more flying-type Pokémon to chase her down with. He had to lure her back down.

"Stonewall," Peter called out his Aggron once more. He was weakened and probably wouldn't be able to fight if the Salamence used her Flamethrower again, but Peter was running out of options. Most of his Pokémon would defeat the weakened Salamence in just one attack. He had to be careful if he truly wanted to catch her.

"Rock Tomb," Peter told his Aggron. At the command, the immense Pokémon reached forward and pulled a large chunk of earth straight from the ground. Rather than crumbling in its grasp, it hardened into stone, which it hurled with all its might towards the circling dragon.

The attack fell well short of its target, but Peter had counted on it. He merely wanted the Salamence's attention. In its aggravated state, he doubted it would ignore the opponent that had already hurt it severely. His idea turned out to be correct when the Salamence snapped to attention and roared down at them. A second later, it dove downward at terrifying speed.

"Get ready, Stonewall," Peter spoke with a low, confident voice. In seconds, the Salamence was just in front of them. "Rock Smash!"

Confident in the power of its talons, the Salamence swiped at Stonewall's thick armor-plated body. But even with the substantial power boost from Dragon Dance, Stonewall was still far tougher and the Dragon Claw left only minor scratches.

Stonewall retaliated with a hard, right hook into the dragon's menacing jaws. Once again, the blow did little more than daze the Salamence, but Peter noted with glee that its movements were sluggish and obviously took great effort. It was in immense pain.

Peter palmed an empty Ultra Ball. He wasn't sure if it would be enough, but he couldn't risk hurting the Salamence any more than he already had. With all of his might, he threw the black and yellow-striped ball at the dragon-Pokémon. It struck its shoulder and drew the Salamence inside with a dull red light.

Peter's heart stopped as the ball dropped to the ground in front of Stonewall. It shook violently as the creature inside struggled to burst free. It rocked back and forth, threatening to turn over entirely. The second time it happened, the ball burst apart into tiny shards and the immense Salamence loomed over Peter and Stonewall once more.

Peter had no time to issue a command before its mouth opened and a fresh stream of scorching flames fired out. He had no choice but to seek shelter behind Stonewall as the orange and red flames covered the stony cliff-side. When it was finally over, Stonewall staggered forward and fell with a heavy crash before him.

Anger and even hatred, unlike anything Peter had ever seen glowed within the Salamence's eyes. Peter was on his knees in front of the powerful creature, so much more powerful than he ever could have guessed. He should give up and run. It would kill him if he didn't. It was giving him one more chance to give up.

But, strangely, he wasn't afraid. He felt nothing but awe as he looked at the dragon. He still wanted her. It wasn't over.

Peter stood quickly and ripped another Pokéball from his belt with one hand while recalling Stonewall with the other. He had one more chance.

"Breloom!" Peter shouted. The bipedal mushroom-Pokémon appeared in a flash of white. Peter had not given it a nickname, but cared for it with no less devotion than any of his other Pokémon.

"Spore!" he commanded.

This was it. Once the pollen from Spore put the Salamence to sleep, catching it would be easy. A weakened, sleeping Pokémon was virtually guaranteed to be an easy catch.

As Peter's Breloom readied its attack, the Salamence pulled back and then dove forward at terrible speed. It slashed at the fragile grass Pokémon with its claws before pulling back up and circling around. The poor Breloom was defeated in a single hit. It tumbled end over end, right passed Peter, before slamming into the cave wall and fainting.

 _No_ , Peter thought. His eyes widened in shock. Just like that, it was over. He had been careless and over-eager. He should have known Breloom would have a hard time against this Salamence. With Dragon Dance powering her attacks and a Flamethrower for any that resisted, the Salamence had become nearly unstoppable.

Crestfallen, Peter had no choice but to give up on catching the Salamence. He had no other means to weaken her. His best attempt had already been a clear failure. The Salamence was far too enraged and would never stay in a Pokéball now. The only thing Peter could do was fulfill his contract with Chuck and defeat it. That would scare it away and the people of Lavaridge would be safe.

He reached for a fourth Pokéball.

"Flurry!" Peter shouted. His Glaceon was still very young and was a bit small, even for others of her kind. She had only evolved two weeks earlier and had a lot of training to do. But even though she was young and inexperienced, her ice-type attacks would be more than enough to bring down the crippled Salamence.

The merciless dragon reared back her head. Her mouth was full of fire as she prepared another Flamethrower.

"Ice Shard!" Peter commanded.

Within the air around Flurry, frost began to form. The frost quickly gathered together into several small, sharp-pointed icicles. As the dragon's head came forward, the Glaceon let out a cry and the icicles shot through the air with incredible speed. They struck the dragon's body again and again.

For a brief moment, Peter was afraid it hadn't been enough and Flurry would be the next of his Pokémon to be defeated. But after a second, the flames died out and the Salamence pitched forward. Peter scooped up Flurry as he ran for cover. The Salamence crashed into the rocky cliff-side, beaten.

Peter set Flurry down and waited. Defeated by a trainer, the Salamence would leave in a moment. If it wanted to find others of its kind, it would be best that it chose somewhere else to search.

The immense dragon breathed a rasping breath of defeat and exhaustion. She lifted her head and glared at Peter, as if to say, "How _dare_ you!" But she did not take off. Her open jaws began to glow a reddish-orange as she prepared another flamethrower. Peter cringed and threw up his arms to shield himself, but the flames sputtered and winked out. The Salamence's head pitched forward and lied on the ground.

Dumbfounded, Peter stared at the dragon. The immense, powerful creature thrashed, growled and snarled in defiance even as her strength failed her. She would not fight any longer, but she refused to give up.

 _Now what_? Peter thought with mounting dread. It was over. He had beaten the Salamence in a fair Pokémon battle, but that was meaningless to the Salamence. She would not give up, she would not flee and she wouldn't stay in a Pokéball. She would kill him first.

If she wouldn't leave, what did that mean for Lavaridge? Was Peter supposed to go back and tell them that he had failed, that the Salamence could not be forced to leave? How would they react to news like that? Some might panic, call for an evacuation, and be forced to wait; hoping that their homes would still be there by the time the Salamence moved on. And that could take weeks, maybe months. They might even demand that the dragon be killed.

Was that what he should do? One more blow was all it would take. Trainers did not kill the Pokémon they battled. Others hunted Pokémon, but very few, and the practice was even illegal in many parts of the world. But now Peter had been forced into a corner. Was that the solution: kill the Salamence so Lavaridge could continue on in peace as though nothing had happened?

Peter stared at the dragon in front of him for a long time. She stopped thrashing, but her breath came in ragged gasps as she snarled at him. The rage and hatred in her eyes was horrible. Flurry began to whimper and slink away, seeking shelter behind her trainer. Peter shook his head, depressed to see this proud, beautiful creature brought low. And he had done it. Never before had he felt so terrible about winning a Pokémon battle.

"Hey," he called out to her, "are you okay?"

In response, the dragon lowered her head to ground, snarling with the menace of a lion's roar and snake's rattle melded together. The great crimson wings flattened and her tail thrashed.

"Guess that's a no," Peter said, without humor, and shrugged. From somewhere behind him, Flurry whimpered softly. He took a few steps forward.

The Salamence lifted her head and roared. Peter flinched back from the bone-chilling sound that was less than a dozen steps away. But despite his instincts telling him to run, Peter had no intention of listening to them. After a single roar, he noticed how weak she was. She could barely lift her head and the roar should have left his ears ringing. He took a few more steps, eliciting another roar, but Peter didn't even blink the second time. She was too weak to fight him. A Poochyena puppy was stronger than she was right then.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Peter said, spreading his hands out, "I think we've fought enough for one day." He heard Flurry whimper and whine desperately from somewhere far behind him, but he ignored his frightened Glaceon's warning and walked straight up to the immense dragon-Pokémon. She continued to snarl defiantly.

Peter took a deep breath. He had no idea what he was doing. He only knew that he would not kill this Salamence and leaving her alone in such a weakened state was practically the same thing. Another trainer would come, or some kind of hunter, and put her down for good. He couldn't let that happen.

"Can I sit?" Peter gestured to a spot at the edge of the cliff, right next to the Salamence's deadly talons. At the request, the Salamence growled deeply and struggled to rise, but failed. "Hey, hey!" Peter held up his hands, "don't do that, you'll hurt yourself." Reluctantly, the Salamence heeded his advice and lied still.

Tentatively, Peter edged over to the spot where he intended to sit. With his heart pounding madly and Flurry whining shrilly, he swung his legs over the side of the cliff and sat with his back to the dragon.

"Wow…" Peter's eyes widened as he took in the sight before him. He had walked this path a dozen times, but never at sunset and now he had the chance to marvel at the sight. He could not see quite as far as he could from the summit of Mt. Chimney, but the streets of Lavaridge were all easily visible and the dense forests of southern Hoenn glowed brilliantly in the orange-red light.

"I can see why you picked here," Peter smiled, but the Salamence did not respond. Neither did she tear his back open or bite his head off, so Peter took it as a good sign. Once more he had no idea what to do.

"The people in town said you're trying to find another Salamence," Peter told her, politely omitting the old drunk's theory, "but nobody's answering." There was a low growl from behind him. Peter had no idea what that might mean, but he decided to take that as a good sign, as well.

"I don't really have a lot of friends, either," Peter admitted, "I think that's part of why I decided to become a trainer." He paused before continuing, "I do have some friends, though. Two, actually. May, she's Professor Birch's daughter, and Wally. Wally's kinda sickly, but you wouldn't know it seeing how much he loves Pokémon."

He felt like he was beginning to ramble, but kept going all the same.

"They both look up to me," he shrugged, "I'm not even sure why. I mean, I still have a long way to go." He took another deep breath. This was the hard part. "That's why I'm up here, really. Thought I could catch a Salamence and be ready for the big tournament. Most trainers catch Bagons and evolve them. It takes years sometimes before they can become a Salamence. I thought I could skip all of that." He turned back to look at the Salamence. Her eyes were narrowed in anger as she lied her head down on the cool ground, slowly gaining her energy back even as she seethed.

"But I didn't think about what you wanted," Peter told her, "and I'm sorry for that." He turned back to look out at Lavaridge once more. "It only makes sense that you'd be angry. You're all alone up here and everybody down there's afraid of you. Then idiots like me come to force you away without caring what you want. I'd be pissed, too."

There was a shuffling movement behind him that made Peter's heart pound. Had she gotten enough strength back to move around? Would she attack him now? A moment later, the Salamence's neck craned around and she set her immense head, the jaws lined with deadly fangs crusted over with dried blood, down on top of his lap.

Peter breathed a soft sigh of relief and began stroking the scales on top of her head. They were surprisingly warm.

They sat in silence for a few minutes as the sun set in the distance. Once more, the boy was at a loss for words. He couldn't believe how the enraged Salamence was now behaving so gently. In part, he simply did not want to spoil the moment and remained quiet.

Soon, Flurry came around to the other side and lied down next to him. Her body was always a little cold to the touch, but the ice-type nuzzled against him nevertheless.

"I can say this, though," Peter said, at last, "being a Pokémon trainer means I'm never alone. My friends are always right here, with me." He patted the Pokéballs attached to his belt. "And…it feels kind of selfish to ask, but if you want, you could come with us."

The Salamence shifted a little, letting out a low growl.

"Well, you don't have to if you don't want to," Peter shrugged, "you have a nice view here. And somebody's bound to hear you, eventually. I hope so, anyway." Peter could not mask his doubt. Salamence were rare and some experts said they were dwindling in numbers every year. Even if he set the concerns of Lavaridge aside, how much longer could she keep going like this?

"Or…" Peter grinned, "You could come with me. I guarantee you'll get stronger and we'll fight together like best friends. We'll win tournaments and become famous," he looked down at the dragon-Pokémon, "and then every Salamence in the whole world will want to meet you."

She lifted her head to peer at him, her eyes glinting with curiosity, maybe even eagerness. For the first time, there wasn't a hint of rage or frustration in her gaze.

"Sound fun?" Peter smirked.

The Salamence lowered her head back down and a made a soft, contented growl that sounded to Peter like a coo of affection.

"I hoped you'd say that," Peter nodded. He looked out over the horizon once more. In just a few minutes the sun would finish setting and the rocky, jumbled path would be too dangerous to travel.

"We'll get you back to the Pokémon Center in the morning," he assured her, "but first, I think you need a name."


End file.
